1. The admissions authority for any academy within the Chancery Education Trust is the Chancery Education Trust. As an academy the academy follows all procedures in accordance with the coordinated admissions scheme. All applications for Reception shall be received and offers made individually by the Local Authority (LA) that deals with the academy in question in common with other Primary Academies in that borough in accordance with the Coordinated Admissions Scheme.

2. The standard number of admissions to Davidson Primary Academy is 480. The published admission number is inclusive of pupils with a statement of special educational needs in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements. The number of admissions is liable to change in accordance with the needs and demands of individual year groups.

3. In line with legislation, all children will be permitted to start in Reception in the September following their fourth birthday. Parents can request that the date their child is admitted to the school is deferred until later in the school year or until the child reaches compulsory school age in that school year. Where entry is deferred, the academy will hold the place for that child and not offer it to another child.

4. Summer born children (deferring entry to Reception until September 2019). The term “summer born children” relates to all children born from 1 April to 31 August. These children reach compulsory school age on 31 August following their fifth birthday (on their fifth birthday if it falls on 31 August). Parents of “summer born children” may request that their child is admitted the following year outside of his or her normal age range into Reception Year instead of Year 1, however there is no automatic right to this. Any place already received for the child in Reception Year in the usual way cannot be deferred (ie. held for that child) for the duration of that school year, and if deferral is agreed parents will need to re-apply for admission for the following year. Davidson Primary Academy will make a decision, having taken into account the circumstances of each case, together with the opinion of the Principal. Where the request is agreed by the academy, the application will be considered with all other applications in the usual way, applying the oversubscription criteria as necessary.

5. Admission of children below compulsory school age and deferred admission to school. Parents offered a place in reception for their child have a right to defer the date their child is admitted, or to take the place up part-time, until the child reaches compulsory school age. Places cannot be deferred beyond the beginning of the final term of the school year for which the offer was made. Children reach compulsory school age on the prescribed day following their 5th birthday (or on their fifth birthday if it falls on a prescribed day). The prescribed days are 31 August, 31 December and 31 March.] This means, once a place has been offered the parent would not however be able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted. A child born between 1 April and 31 August 2013 and offered a place for admission in the 2018-19 academic year will be expected to start school by the start of the 2019 Summer term. In exceptional circumstances, parents can also request that their child attends part-time until the child reaches compulsory school age but this must be in discussion with the Principal and in the best interests of the child.

6. All applications need to be completed and submitted ONLINE. Apply for a place www.eadmissions.org.uk. For further information on applying for a school place in Croydon go to www.croydon.gov.uk/admissions

7. It is important that the Principal meets with all parents of children that have been offered a place at the Academy prior to the child starting

8. In the event of over-subscription, the following common criteria shall apply in priority order:

i) Looked after children: A looked after child is a child in the care of a local authority or being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions. They are also children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order).

ii) The allocation of places will be made in accordance with criterion 3 (siblings as detailed below) and then criterion 5 (proximity of the home in relation to the Academy).

iii) Siblings – Children who have a brother or sister at Davidson Primary Academy will still be attending at the beginning of their first term.

iv) Children of staff at the Academy

Davidson Primary Academy may give priority regarding oversubscription criteria to children of staff in either or both of the following circumstances:a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the Academy for two or more years at the time at which the application of admission to the Academy is made and/orb) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

v) Proximity – The distance will be measured in a straight line from the child’s home address to the designated entrance(s) of the school using a computerised measuring system (GIS) and geographical reference points as provided by the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG). Those living closer to the school will receive higher priority.If a child lives in a shared property such as flats, the geographical references will determine the start point within the property boundaries to be used for distance calculation purposes.

9. Offers of places will be made by the LA in April for the whole of the academic year. Children who are not offered a place immediately will have the option of remaining on a waiting list. Children on the waiting list will be offered places in order according to the criteria in (6) above. Children will be removed from the waiting list once the normal admission point for their birth date has passed, unless the parent requests in writing that they should continue to remain on it.

10. AppealsAll applicants have a statutory right of appeal in the event that their preferred Academy is unable to offer them a place. Appeals for places will be considered in light of the class sizes set out by the Governing Board. Parents who want to appeal against the Governors’ decision not to offer their child a place at the Academy must appeal directly to the Academy. Appeals should be addressed to the Clerk of Governors at the Academy within 14 days of receiving the decision letter. The appeal will be heard by an independent appeals panel. Parents will receive notification of the date and time of their appeal hearing, to which they can go and make their case. If they wish, parents may be accompanied by an advisor or friend. Following the appeal, the clerk to the appeals panel will write to parents with the decision.

11. TiebreakerDistance will be used as a tiebreaker for each oversubscription criterion. Where distance is the same for two or more applications, the academy will use random allocation. This will be independently verified.

12. Waiting lists (for all year groups)Waiting lists are maintained by the LA and kept in the order of the published admissions criteria.

13. In Year applicationsAll applications that are made for admissions to all year groups at Davidson Primary Academy are made to the Local Authority in line with their published “In Year” scheme. Parents/Carers should contact the Local Authority and will need to complete the in- year application form, which can be downloaded from the Croydon Council Website, please note there is no online application currently available: https://www.croydon.gov.uk/education/schools-new/school-admissions/in-year-admissions/in-year-admissions-primary

14. Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs 0r Education, Health and Care PlanChildren with a full statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) are dealt with under a separate process by the Special Educational Needs team. The published admission number of all Croydon academies is inclusive of students with a statement of special educational needs or Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) that are admitted to the Academy pursuant to the school being named in their statement or EHC plan.

15. Fair Access ProtocolDavidson Primary Academy, like all academies in Croydon, will admit pupils referred under the Fair Access Protocol. A “Hard to Place” pupil will be given priority for admission over any others who are seeking or applying for an Academy place.

16. AttendancePupil attendance is monitored closely throughout each term and parents of those pupils whose attendance lies at 85% or below will be contacted by the Assistant Head Teacher/Head of PLS and invited to the Academy to discuss reasons behind poor attendance and ways of improving attendance.